Maintenance dose Auto trans/Power steering

[oilboy123]

Why is a maintenance dose required with oil but not with trans or power steering?

I run Amsoil and thought about why I do it for the engine but not tran/power steering. Works great for the engine I might add........

 

[Frank]

These units are sealed and contaminants , dirt, not major issues as in air aspirated engines, No second application or maintenance dose required

 

[Rick20]

Transmissions and pwer steering systems are pretty much closed systems. They do not get the daily blowby of combustion gases, dust and dirt, atmospheric moisture, etc. So the ARX stand is that the product is best utilized in a cleaning mode prior to fluid exchanges in these sealed units. A better question is how long does one run the ATF or power steering fluid. Read an owners manual and it may state that the ATF is good for 100,000 miles. Ask a transmission rebuilder and they would likely say 30,000 miles or every two years. You will likely find the same paradox with the power steering. I would tend to believe the optimum change out time is somewhere in the middle for average driving or use. The main thing hear is to utilize ARX to dissolve any oxidized lubricant back into suspension before the fluid exchange. Hense get a much better drain, not leaving gummy residues behind, especially in torque convertors. Why put fresh fluid into a dirty system?

 

[oilboy123]

So the RX has no effect on Elastomers in the seals?

Such as has been the case with engine seals.

 

[Rick20]

The effect of ARX on engine seals is to clean contamients off the rotating shafts journals and contamients under the critical seal lip. Only then can a rotational seal be fixed. The same would apply to front seals on a transmission.

So yeah ARX has a big impact on elastomer seals, by cleaning up the mating surfaces. But if you are looking for polymer swelling, no ARX does not.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: Frank
These units are sealed and contaminants , dirt, not major issues as in air aspirated engines, No second application or maintenance dose required
Still wouldn't a maint dose keep the parts clean ? They got "dirty" in the first place

 

[Rick20]

Parts should already be clean after the initial cleaning and lubricant changed out. Its more a case of the lubricant being spent in the trans and power steering unit. May be not for all BITOGers, but the general public is slack on ATF and power steering fluid change outs. There is no evidence that a maintenance dose would be effective over 50,000 miles in a non or poorly filtered closed system. Why wake up the sleeping watch dog before youy are ready to run or drain in this case. The transmission application as well as power steering are tried and true. I know of many folks that have run these applications well beyond the recommended mileage with no ill effects. In actuality running the prescribed dose for 1000 miles is sufficient, before draining and recharging with fresh.

 

[BearZDefect]

I am one of those who has experienced no apparent benefit of using auto-rx in several engines, but it helped in a power steering system that was all good except for a very small leak at the pump - that leak pretty much disappeared with use of auto-rx.